Gutter cover assembly for mounting on a roof edge, and corresponding method

ABSTRACT

A gutter cover assembly and corresponding methods of use, where the assembly is generally adapted for mounting on the edge of a roof and over an adjacent gutter. The assembly includes a cover adapted to extend over the edge of a roof and an adjacent gutter. The cover includes a mounting portion adapted for mounting on the roof, and a guard portion adapted to extend over the gutter to prevent leaves and debris from entering the gutter. The assembly also includes a support disposed under the guard portion to support the guard portion over the gutter. The cover is slideably disposed relative to the support before the cover is fixedly mounted on the roof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/553,506, filed Mar. 16, 2004, which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject invention relates generally to gutter covers, and morespecifically to gutter covers that can be installed on roofing deckshaving a variety of pitches, while providing venting through the roofingdeck.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rain gutters can be mounted on sides of buildings, just below a rooflineto facilitate runoff of water from a roof. However, rain gutters canclog with debris such as leaves or twigs, rendering the rain guttersusceptible to backing up with rain or snow. Even worse, a clogged raingutter can cause the buildup of snow or ice on the roof and form icedams that can damage the roof and leak into the building. A number ofgutter screens and shields exist to prevent debris from collecting inthe gutter. However, screens need regular cleaning or they may becomeclogged by debris, preventing the flow of water from entering thegutter.

Gutter covers that rely on the surface tension of water rather thanusing screens prevent debris from building up in the gutter and do notneed regular cleaning. These covers typically allow rain to flow down atop segment of the cover and around the front. The rain continues toflow along an undersurface of the cover due to the surface tension ofwater. The rain eventually drops off the cover into the rain gutter.However, these covers have a number of drawbacks. First, the coversusually require that the cover be screwed into the gutter or supportedby the installation of an additional bracket; or they may require theuse of an extra clip to attach the gutter cover to the rain gutter.Screws connecting the cover to the rain gutter may cause leaks andcracks in the rain gutter. Extra brackets and clips that attach to therain gutter can add complexity to the gutter cover installation andtherefore may add cost to the consumer. Finally, not all gutter coverswork on a variety of roof pitches.

In addition, those skilled in the art of roofing provide ventilation tothe building by cutting a hole in a roof deck just above a roofline. Airis able to reach the hole in the roof deck by installing an air ventbetween the roof deck and the shingles of the roof. The air ventprovides a passage for air to travel from the attic to the outside andvice versa. However, air vents do not protect the rain gutters below theair vent from clogging. Thus, if the rain gutter clogs with debris, therain or snow in the gutter may back up into the attic by travelingthrough the air vent. This may cause water damage inside the buildingincluding in the ceiling and down the inside of the walls. Moreover,mold may grow where the inside of the building got wet.

Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a gutter cover orguard that prevents debris from entering gutters and that installs on avariety of roof pitches without any additional screws, brackets orclips.

A related objective is to provide an effective and convenient system forroofers to install when putting a replacement roof on an existing home,where the system includes a gutter cover, a drip edge, an equivalent toa starter row of shingles, and possibly also a ventilation feature thatpermits ventilation to the building under the cover and through the roofdeck.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES

According to one conception of the invention, there is a gutter coverassembly for mounting on the edge of a roof and over an adjacent gutter.The assembly comprises a cover adapted to extend over the edge of a roofand an adjacent gutter. The cover includes a mounting portion adaptedfor mounting on the roof, and a guard portion adapted to extend over thegutter to prevent leaves and debris from entering the gutter. Theassembly also includes a support disposed under the guard portion tosupport the guard portion over the gutter. The cover is slideablydisposed relative to the support before the cover is fixedly mounted onthe roof.

According to another conception of the invention, there is a novelmethod for protecting a roof edge and a gutter disposed adjacent theroof edge including the steps of: disposing a cover over the roof edgeand the gutter; disposing a support in the gutter and under the coverfor supporting the cover over the gutter; adjusting the cover relativeto the gutter so that the cover extends over the gutter in apredetermined manner; and fixing the cover to the roof edge.

According to yet another conception of the invention, there is a novelmethod for protecting a roof edge and a gutter disposed adjacent theroof edge. The method includes the steps of: forming a vent through theroof edge adjacent the gutter; covering the vent and the gutter with acover; spacing the cover a predetermined distance away from the venthole to permit venting through the vent; adjusting the cover over thegutter to extend over the gutter a predetermined distance; and fixingthe cover to the roof edge.

The invention in its various forms permits roofers with a simple andeffective tool for addressing a number roofing issues with a singledevice. The result is that roofers are better able to provide areplacement roof that is effective and relatively inexpensive.

FIGURES IN THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gutter cover assembly mounted on theedge of a roof and over an adjacent gutter;

FIG. 2A is an side view of the gutter cover in FIG. 1 placed over a roofvent on a low pitch roof and having a guard in an adjusted position overan adjacent gutter;

FIG. 2B is a similar side view of the gutter cover in FIG. 2A with amounting portion nailed to the low pitch roof;

FIG. 2C is a similar side view of the gutter cover in FIG. 2A with theguard in a properly adjusted position over the gutter;

FIG. 2D is a side view of the gutter cover in FIG. 2C with the guardnailed to the low pitch roof;

FIG. 3 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the gutter coverin FIG. 1 extended over a high pitch roof and an adjacent gutter; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of a support including a preferred set of anglesfor the support.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will now be described, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings in which a gutter cover assemblyis generally shown at 10.

Generally, the gutter cover assembly 10 prevents debris such as leavesor twigs from entering a rain gutter 12 attached below a roof 14 of abuilding 16 shown in FIG. 1. Gutter cover 10 assembly can also provideventilation for building 16. Gutter cover 10 assembly includes a guardgenerally indicated at 18, a support generally indicated at 20, amounting portion generally indicated at 21, and a ventilation structuregenerally indicated at 22.

Guard 18 includes a top planar segment 24 extending from an edge of roofdeck 26 to a front wall 28 of the rain gutter 12 shown in FIG. 1. Topsegment 24 connects to a rounded front segment 30 that extends above thefront wall 28. Front segment 30 does not touch the front wall 28,thereby creating a gap 32 between front segment 30 and front wall 28.Front segment 30 connects to a lower planar segment 34, which extendsunder top segment 24. Front segment 30 curves such that lower segment 34would intersect with top segment 24 above roof deck 26 if lower segment34 extended far enough. Lower segment 34 connects to a sliding planarsegment 36, which extends in parallel with lower segment 34 just underlower segment 34. Sliding segment 36 connects to a stopper 38. Stopper38 is perpendicular to both lower segment 34 and sliding segment 36. Thearea defined by top segment 24, front segment 30 and lower segment 34can either be hollow; or the area can be solid if top segment 24, frontsegment 30 and lower segment 34 are made of one solid piece of material.

Support 20 is adapted to rest on some support structure such as ahorizontal pin 40 typically found in rain gutter 12; and support 20provides the structure to support guard 18 as shown in FIG. 2A.Horizontal pin 40 is typically an aluminum pin, nail or spike that holdsrain gutter 12 to building 16. Support 20 includes a top arm 42 thatextends between lower segment 34 and sliding segment 36. Arm 42 extendsin parallel with both lower segment 34 and sliding segment 36. Arm 42connects to a front leg 44, which extends perpendicularly away fromlower segment 34. Front leg 44 connects to a bottom leg or base 46.Bottom leg 46 is adapted to rest on horizontal pin 40 within rain gutter12. Bottom leg 46 connects to a rear leg 48, which extends upward towardsliding segment 36. Front leg 44, bottom leg 46, and rear leg 48 canrange in width, from slightly wider than horizontal pin 40 up to thesame width of guard 18. Arm 42 and front leg 44 define an angle 50.Angle 50 is approximately a right angle. Front leg 44 and bottom leg 46define an obtuse angle 52 and a corner 54. Bottom leg 46 and rear leg 48define an obtuse angle 56 and a corner 58. In the preferred embodiment,Angle 50 is approximately 94 degrees, angle 52 is approximately 124degrees, and angle 56 is approximately 104 degrees as shown in FIG. 4.However, each angle can have a variation of about plus or minus fivedegrees. These angles allow support 20 to provide the proper gap 32between front wall 28 and front segment 30 over roof decks having arange of pitches.

The ventilation structure 22 includes a first planar segment 60extending from the top end of rear leg 48 shown in FIG. 1. First segment60 connects to a drip edge 64, which extends down and back as shown.Drip edge 64 is adapted to touch the rear edge of the gutter or thefascia board 62 at the end of the drip edge 64 opposite from firstsegment 60. A second planar segment 66 connects to first segment 60 atthe end where first segment 60 connects with rear leg 48. Second segment66 extends from first segment 60 over roof deck 26 and in parallel withsliding segment 36 and lower segment 34. Second segment 66 continuesinto a front support projection 68. Front support projection 68 extendstoward top segment 24 and may touch the underside of top segment 24.Front support projection 68 connects to a third planar segment 70 thatextends down toward roof deck 26 in front of a ventilation gap 84. Thirdsegment 70 connects to a bottom plate 72, which extends along theroofing deck toward the peak of roof 14. Bottom plate 72 continuesacross ventilation gap 84 in roof deck 26 and beyond the beginning of atop plate 86. A rear support projection 74 extends from bottom plate 72just behind ventilation gap 84 in roof deck 26. Rear support projection74 extends toward top plate 86 and may touch top 86. First segment 60,third segment 70, and bottom plate 72 define apertures that allow air topass through the surfaces. The apertures may be a series of perforatedvents. The apertures may also include an insect screen which may be madeout of a mesh or netting material shown in FIG. 1. In addition, thefirst segment 60 and drip edge 64 can be formed by folding theirsurfaces back upon themselves so that one continuous piece of materialmay be used to form the entire ventilation structure 22. Oneconsideration is that the drip edge 64 must be made of a solid piece ofmaterial, not a mesh or netting material. In another embodiment, theentire ventilation structure 22 can be comprised of two separate piecesof material welded together at drip edge 64 and possibly first segment60. The first piece of material would contain support 20, a part offirst segment 60, and a part of drip edge 64. The second piece ofmaterial would contain the other part of first segment 60, the otherpart of drip edge 64, second segment 66, third segment 70, and bottomplate 72. Finally, the bottom plate 72 can be made of either solidmaterial behind rear support projection 74 or out of the same porousmaterial as first segment 60.

Mounting portion 21 includes top plate 86 and bottom plate 72. Mountingportion 21 provides the structure to secure gutter cover 10 to roof deck26 with roofing nails 82 shown in FIG. 1. Both top plate 86 and bottomplate 72 fit beneath a shingle 76 to minimize the visibility of mountingportion 21.

Gutter cover 10 prevents debris from entering rain gutter 12 while stillallowing rain to run off roof 14 and into rain gutter 12 shown inFIG. 1. Guard 18 extends over rain gutter 12, and thus blocks debrissuch as leaves or twigs from blowing into rain gutter 12 by eliminatinga path for the debris to enter rain gutter 12. Keeping rain gutter 12free of debris prevents rain or snow from building up in rain gutter 12,on roof 14, under shingle 76 and from entering ventilation gap 84. Yet,rain running off shingle 76 can still flow down top segment 24 and intorain gutter 12. The surface tension of water allows the rain to flowfrom top segment 24, continue around front segment 30 and behind frontwall 28 before the rains falls into rain gutter 12. The rounded shape offront segment 30 best facilitates the capillary flow of water from topsegment 24 into rain gutter 12. A sharp edge could cause water to dropoff front segment 30 prior to flowing behind front wall 28 of the gutter12. Finally, gap 32 allows the rain to flow behind front wall 28 ratherthan down the outside of rain gutter 12.

Support 20 provides the structure for guard 18 to rest on horizontal pin40 in rain gutter 12 while not touching front wall 28 shown in FIG. 2A.Support 20 should be located as close to front segment 30 as possible.Horizontal pin 40 is installed in roughly the same position on the frontof all gutters. However, horizontal pin 40 is not always installedstraight. Thus, the space between horizontal pin 40 and the top ofgutter 12 may vary in the rear of gutter 12. In contrast, the spacebetween horizontal pin 40 and the top of gutter 12 should remainrelatively constant near the front of gutter 12. Therefore, support 20can properly provide the spacing required by placing support 20 close tofront segment 30. In addition, support 20 allows gutter cover 10 to workwith roof pitches ranging from 3\12 to 12\12. Support 20 props guard 18because lower segment 34 rests on top arm 42 and front leg 44. At leastone of the following, corner 54 or corner 58, rests on horizontal pin 40depending upon the pitch of roof 14. On low pitch roofs such as 3\12,corner 58 rests on horizontal pin 40, but corner 54 does not touchhorizontal pin 40 shown in FIG. 2A. Conversely, on high pitch roofs suchas 12\12, corner 54 rests on horizontal pin 40, but corner 58 does nottouch horizontal pin 40 shown in FIG. 3. Thus, support 20 is able toprop guard 18 for a variety of roof pitches but still maintains theproper gap 32 for rain to pass between front segment 30 and front wall28. Moreover, support 20 allows gutter cover 10 to be installed over anexisting rain gutter without the need for additional screws, brackets orclips.

Ventilation structure 22 allows air to flow from outside building 16,under gutter cover 10, through ventilation gap 84 in roof deck 26 andinto building 16; and it allows air to travel in the reverse direction.This airflow allows for ventilation of building 16. Air is able to flowfreely due to gap 32 between front segment 30 and front wall 28 and theapertures in first segment 60, third segment 70, bottom plate 72 andventilation gap 84. Front support projection 68 ensures a proper spacingbetween roof deck 26 and top segment 24 along with second segment 66.Rear support projection 74 ensures a proper spacing between roof deck 26and top segment 24 above ventilation gap 84. The combination ventilationstructure 22 with guard 18 provides proper building ventilation withoutthe concerns associated with past roof deck ventilation systems. Thecombination of ventilation structure 22 and guard 18 provides properventilation while eliminating debris from causing a back up of rain orsnow in rain gutter 12. The elimination of the backup of rain or snow inrain gutter 12 further prevents water or snow from entering building 16through ventilation gap 84 or damaging shingle 76 and roof deck 26.Finally, by including drip edge 64, gutter cover 10 eliminates the needto install a separate drip edge on building 16, saving time and money.Drip edge 64 provides protection to fascia board 62 by diverting watercoming off roof 14 away from fascia board. Because gutter cover 10already provides a direct path for water to enter gutter 12, drip edge64 simply provides added protection.

Mounting portion 21 simplifies the installation process as shown inFIGS. 2A-2D. First, the bottom plate 72 is placed under shingle 76 sothat rear support projection 74 is located just behind ventilation gap84, support 20 is resting on horizontal pin 40, and drip edge 64 istouching the rear of the gutter or the fascia board 62 as shown in FIG.2A. Next, a roofing nail 82 is driven through bottom plate 72 behindrear support projection 74 into roof deck 26 as shown in FIG. 2B. Asecond roofing nail 82 is driven through bottom plate 72 into roof deck26 near third segment 70 in front of ventilation gap 84. Guard 18 mayslide freely along roof 14 at this point, while stopper 38 preventsguard 18 from sliding too far forward or backward. FIG. 2A shows guard18 in the fully retracted position. The sliding feature of guard 18allows gutter cover 10 to accommodate a variety of roof pitches. Thedistance between the end of roof deck 26 and front wall 28 will varydepending on the roof pitch. Therefore, a guard 18 that adjusts may berequired. Guard 18 is able to slide because gutter cover 10 consists ofat least two separate pieces of material. For example, guard 18 consistsof one piece of material while support 20 and ventilation structure 22consist of another piece of material. However, the individual componentsof each major section (guard 18, support 20, ventilation structure 22,and mounting portion 21) can be comprised of separate segments joinedtogether. The individual components can be joined together by knownmethods including, but not limited to the following: welding, bending,adhering, or tacking. Next, guard 18 should be slid forward until frontsegment 30 is slightly forward of front wall 28 with gap 32 betweenfront segment 30 and front wall 28 as shown in FIG. 2C. At this point,top plate 86 is nailed behind rear support projection 74 into roof deck26 as shown in FIG. 2D. Now gutter cover 10 is secured in its finalorientation. Front support projection 68 and rear support projection 74prevent top plate 86 from collapsing on bottom plate 72 after top plate86 is nailed to roof deck 26. Depending on the rigidity of the materialcomposing top plate 86 and third segment 70, the front supportprojection 68 may not be required. Moreover, the front supportprojection 68 and rear support projection 74 may be formed in many waysincluding, but not limited to the following: bending the material toform a projection, inserting a projecting object through bottom plate 72or second segment 66, or extruding material such as plastic or metalacross bottom plate 72 or second segment 66.

Additional features may assist in installation of the gutter cover 10.For example, a ridge 78 may be added to top segment 24 to align theguard with shingle 76 and prevent water or snow from creeping undershingle 76 shown in FIG. 3. Ridge 78 also slows water coming down roof14. Ridge 78 may be formed in many ways including, but not limited tothe following: bending top plate 86 to form a projection or extrudingmaterial such as plastic or metal across top plate 86. In addition, anadhesive strip 80 can be added between shingle 76 and top segment 24 tokeep shingle 76 and top segment 24 held together. Adhesive strip 80 canalso assist in preventing guard 18 from lifting off horizontal pin 40during heavy winds by using shingle 76 as downward pressure on guard 18.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it is to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. Moreover, thereference numerals are merely for convenience and are not intended to bein any way limiting.

1. A gutter cover assembly for mounting on the edge of a roof and overan adjacent gutter, the assembly comprising: a cover adapted to extendover the edge of a roof and an adjacent gutter; the cover including amounting portion adapted for mounting on the roof, and a guard portionadapted to extend over the gutter to prevent leaves and debris fromentering the gutter; a support disposed under the guard portion tosupport the guard portion over the gutter; the cover being slideablydisposed relative to the support before the cover is fixedly mounted onthe roof.
 2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the support includes a dripedge adapted to contact the back of the gutter.
 3. The assembly of claim1 including a least one spacing structure disposed under the coveradapted to space the cover above the roof a predetermined distance topermit venting under the cover.
 4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein thesupport includes at least one perforated portion to permit ventingthrough the support.
 5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the mountingportion and the guard portion constitute a first unit, and the supportconstitutes a second unit separate from the first unit.
 6. The assemblyof claim 2 wherein the support includes a base adapted to rest in thegutter with a front leg extending upwardly from the base at apredetermined first angle, and a rear leg spaced apart from the frontleg extending upwardly from the base at a predetermined second angle. 7.The assembly of claim 6 wherein the drip edge is spaced apart from thebase a predetermined distance so that when the drip edge abuts thegutter, the base is located closer to the front of the gutter than tothe back of the gutter.
 8. A method for protecting a roof edge and agutter disposed adjacent the roof edge including the steps of: disposinga cover over the roof edge and the gutter; disposing a support in thegutter and under the cover for supporting the cover over the gutter;adjusting the cover relative to the gutter so that the cover extendsover the gutter in a predetermined manner; and fixing the cover to theroof edge.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the support includes a dripedge, and the step of disposing the support in the gutter furtherincludes the step of abutting the drip edge with the back of the gutter.10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of adjusting the coverincludes sliding the cover relative to the support.
 11. A method forprotecting a roof edge and a gutter disposed adjacent the roof edgeincluding the steps of: forming a vent through the roof edge adjacentthe gutter; covering the vent and the gutter with a cover; spacing thecover a predetermined distance away from the vent hole to permit ventingthrough the vent; adjusting the cover over the gutter to extend over thegutter a predetermined distance; and fixing the cover to the roof edge.12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of spacing the coverincludes the step of disposing a support in the gutter under the cover.13. The method of claim 12 wherein the support in the gutter includes adrip edge, and the step of disposing the support further includes thestep of placing the drip edge in abutting relationship with the back ofthe gutter.
 14. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of spacing thecover includes the step of disposing a rear support on the roof edgeunder the cover and adjacent the vent.
 15. A gutter cover assembly formounting on the edge of a roof and over an adjacent gutter, the assemblycomprising: a cover adapted to extend over the edge of a roof and anadjacent gutter; a support disposed under the cover, the support beingadapted to support the cover over the gutter and to space the coverabove the roof a predetermined distance to permit venting under thecover; and wherein the support includes at least one perforated portionto permit venting through the support.